For many years the site for St. Rita Place & Cascia Center was a vacant lot located along S. Broad Street in South Philadelphia. This prominent corner location has now been transformed with a new, five-story, mixed-use structure that serves the adjacent St. Rita of Cascia Church & Shrine and the neighborhood beyond by providing both affordable housing for seniors as well as a center for peace and reconciliation.

Developed by Catholic Housing & Community Services, this project was funded through the low-income housing tax credit program and provides 46 one-bedroom units for low-income seniors, many of whom have lived in this neighborhood their entire lives.

The Cascia Center occupies 7,500 sf at the first floor and serves several purposes including providing a gathering place for pilgrims visiting the Shrine next door, as well as a place where those in conflict can come together seeking resolution. In siting the new building, the main structure sits tight along Broad and Ellsworth Streets, opening to a newly created Plaza located between the new building and the adjacent, early 20th-century limestone church. At the ground level, the new building angles back, creating both a vista and an entryway to this plaza, inviting residents, pilgrims, and visitors alike into a lushly landscaped outdoor space.

The new building is clad in two types of masonry. The first is red brick which references the residential row-house nature of the neighborhood in which it sits; the second is a contemporary masonry material which references the stone of adjacent St Rita’s. It is at the Broad Street elevation where the hinge between these two separate cladding systems is expressed. The design scheme celebrates the juncture between the residential neighborhood typology and one of its important and vibrant institutions, creating an urban moment that allows for the full appreciation of its unique architecture.

St. Rita Place & Cascia Center is highly energy efficient. There are two goals with that – the environmental benefit and the desire to keep residents’ utility bills as low as possible.

The building was constructed to Energy Star Multifamily High-Rise Certification. The project features highly insulated walls and roof, low-E windows, and highly efficient mechanical equipment. The project is also certified by Enterprise Green Communities. By designing for lowered HERS rating, the tenants will enjoy homes that use 50% less energy than typical code built dwellings.

St. Rita Place provides permanent housing for low-income seniors in a prominent location adjacent a beloved neighborhood landmark. In addition, the Cascia Center has become a safe place for the community where conflict can be safely mediated. These two uses come together in a vibrant, mixed-use building that celebrates and inspires those who live, work, and gather here.

Project Partners:

• Developer/ Owner – Catholic Housing & Community Services
• Architect – CBP Architects
• Structural Engineer – Keast & Hood, Co.
• MEP Engineer – Holstein White, Inc. 
• Civil Engineer – Boles Smyth
• Lighting Designer – BEAM, ltd.
• General Contractor – Domus, Inc.